1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a tellurium containing nutritional formulation that enhances the cumulative weight gain and feed efficacy in poultry. There is compelling evidence from the investigation of chick models that tellurium compounds act to influence the growth performance of chicks. The additive effects in increasing body weight are dose related and most significant at tellurium compound feed concentrations of 12.5 g/metric ton.
2. Description of the Related Art
The present invention is based on the discovery that the addition of a tellurium species to the diet of poultry a few days after hatching increases the growth rate of the young chicks.
Prior research has shown that improvement of the quality of the nutrition of broilers have provided the possibility of increasing their growth rate in modem broiler strains. The increased growth is reflected in either an increased weight of the adult chicken, or a reduction in the period of time required for obtaining an adult chicken. The most dramatic growth rate increase is manifested primarily in the first four weeks after hatching. An increased growth rate in these first four weeks has been found to involve an increased weight of grown up broilers at the age of 42 days, an age that they are typically ready for consumption.(Zubair A. K., 52 WORLD POULTRY SCIENCE J. 189–201 (1996)). According to the state of the art, at 14 days, approximately 50% of the broilers have a body weight of between 365 and 390 grams, and at 42 days, approximately 60% of the broilers have a body weight between 2100 and 2300 grams.
Growth of the young chick only starts after the yolk sac has been resorbed. Further, it is state of the art to deprive the hatched chick of nutrition in the first days of its life in order to enable it to exhibit compensatory growth. An earlier start of growth is reflected in an increased weight of the grown up chicken. It is, therefore, desirable to feed chicks a food composition that accelerates absorption of the yolk sac.
Materials promoting growth, the so-called “growth stimulants”, are typically employed in animal feed for producing quicker growth and increased meat tissue production. The known growth promoting materials may be categorized as either antibiotics, synthetic chemical growth promoters, or sexual hormones. The use of sexual hormones has been forbidden in certain countries.
There are a number of prior art food compositions to enhance growth of young chicks. U.S. Pat. No. 6,258,399 discloses a composition containing monosaccharides, disaccharides, oligosaccharides fed immediately after hatching and during the first days of life that has a growth enhancing and mortality reducing effect.
Others have added various nutrients and vitamins to feed to prevent disease. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,516,525 discloses the addition of vitamin D derivatives to animal feed to prevent development of tibial dyschondroplasia.
Increasing interest has been drawn to the substances known as trace elements, i.e. elements absolutely vital to the human organisms, albeit in minute amounts. Selenium is an essential trace element for proper physiological function in humans. Deficiency can lead to improper functioning of the body's metabolic processes, and to various diseases and disorders. Selenium deficiency has been seen in people who rely on total parenteral nutrition (TPN) as their sole source of nutrition. Selenium deficiency is most commonly seen in China, where the selenium content in the soil, and therefore, selenium intake, is very low. It is characterized by Keshan Disease which results in an enlarged heart.
A blood selenium concentration of 0.02 μg/ml may be considered the critical threshold in defining selenium deficiency. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) established Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for selenium is 55 μg for adults and 70 μg for lactating women.
Several studies reporting the beneficial effects of selenium supplementation in animals have appeared in the literature. With supplementation with intraruminal pellets of selenium the live weights of ewes receiving selenium were generally but not consistently higher than those of unsupplemented ewes. However, fleece weights were significantly greater in selenium supplemented ewes.(Langerlands, J. P. et al; Subclinical Selenium Deficiency. 1-Selenium Status and the Response in Live Weight Gains and Wool Production of Grazing Ewes Supplemented With Selenium. 31 AUST. J. EXP. AGR. 25–31 (1991)). Supplementation with selenium has been observed to help lamb survival rate.(Langerlands, J. P. et al; Subclinical Selenium Deficiency. 2-The Response in Reproductive Performance of Grazing Ewes Supplemented With Selenium. 31 AUST. J. EXP. AGR. 33–35 (1991)). Lamb weights increased significantly at all ages when their dams were supplemented with selenium.(Langlands, J. P. et al; Subclinical Selenium Deficiency. 3-The Selenium Status and Productivity of Lambs Born to Ewes Supplemented With Selenium. 31 AUST. J. EXP. AGR. 37–43 (1990); Langlands, P. J. et al; Selenium Supplements for Grazing Sheep. 28 ANIMAL FEED SCI. TECH. 1–13 (1990)). Administration of intraruminal pellets selenium to dairy heifers resulted in weight gains of 0.11–0.12 kg/day over control.(Wichtel, J. J. et al; The Effect of Intra-ruminal Se Pellets on Growth Rate, Lactation and Reproductive Efficacy in Dairy Cattle, 42 NEW ZEALAND VET. J. 205–210 (1994)).
Selenium has been recognized as an essential nutrient in the production of livestock because of its preventive action against certain diseases such as liver necrosis in pigs, white muscle disease in calves and lambs, and pancreatic degeneration and exudative diathesis involving the capillaries in poultry. The level of selenium in feeds such as cereal grains and soybeans is in most areas inadequate to meet the nutritional needs of livestock. U.S. Pat. No. 4,042,722 discloses selenium containing additives for use as supplements in livestock feeds having a selenium content of not more than 5,000 ppm. Further, FDA has approved the use of selenium as a livestock feed supplement at levels of 0.1–0.3 ppm. Commercial trace mineral premixtures which are sometimes added to animal feed may contain MnO2, ZnO, FeSO4, FeCO3, CuSO4. Additionally, they sometimes contain trace amounts of selenium but not tellurium.
The nontoxic tellurium compound AS101, ammonium trichloro(dioxyethylene-O,O′)tellurate, first developed by the present inventors has been shown to have beneficial effects in diverse preclinical and clinical studies. Most of its activities have been attributed in part to stimulation of endogenous production of a variety of cytokines. The immunomodulating properties of AS101 play a crucial role in preclinical studies demonstrating a protective effect in parasite and viral infected mice models, in autoimmune diseases, and in a variety of tumor models. AS101 has also been shown to have protective properties against lethal and sublethal effects of irradiation and chemotherapy, including protection from hemopoietic damage and alopecia, resulting in increased survival. Phase I and II clinical trials with AS101 on cancer patients showed it was non-toxic and exerted immunomodulatory effects that are associated with its beneficial clinical effects.
A number of human commercial dietary supplement products contain trace amounts of tellurium. The present invention is based on the discovery that a source of tellurium when administered orally, could positively affect the livability, weight gain or feed conversion efficacy of poultry. No one has added tellurium compounds to animal feed.